Boston Live In Concert!

Boston Live In Concert

In 1976, I was a high school sophomore who was allowed to attend my first concert. What a concert it was. 30+ years later I remember that night as if it was last night.

I remember the drive to the arena. I remember walking into the huge abyss of the halll and looking down from the top of the concourse into the dark pavilion that on the previous night I had watched a hockey game. This surely could not be the same place. It even smelled much different. It wasn’t until years later in college that I realized just what that smell was!

Anyway…the lineup that night was amazing. A new up and coming band called 38 Special opened the show and blew us northerners away with a heaping helping of deep fried southern rock. I was hooked forever. Following that night Marshall Tucker, the Outlaws, and of course the Charlie Daniels Band became my heroes. Lest I not forget, Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Next up was a band trying to make it in America with the release of their first album. I had not heard of this band before and most of my friends waiting for the headliner to appear made their way up the long flight of stairs to score us some “refreshments”…that’s greek for BEER! I know I said I was a sophomore but the drinking age was 18 back then and we had a buddy with us who had a fake ID. (didn’t we all know that kid back then who could get us beer…he was the one who got the free ticket to the concert)

While everyone went to get some beer, I stayed. This was my first concert and I wasn’t going to miss any of it. Besides my mom paid for the tickets which meant I had free beer all night.

Then the lights went down and very quickly I was introduced to arena rock and just what a vocal superman meant to a rockband. Lou Gramm and his new band Foreigner were amazing. Goose bumps..literally goose bumps arose when he sang the song “The Damage is Done”. Many know that first album for songs like “Cold As Ice”, but if you ever saw Foreigner live and heard Gramm sing “The Damage Is Done“, you knew this man had met with some serious heartache. Don’t worry Lou! She’s most assuredly eating her heart out now.

But finally, the appetizers were finished. It was time to see the band we had been waiting for. About to take the stage was a band whose lead singer seemed to have a voice that had no bounds, a guitarist whose axe seemingly shredded you from start to finish on every song, and a drummer who made you think of Bonham. There was only one “Bonzo” but this guy was eerily reminiscent.

The band? Boston. For nearly 2 hours I was mesmerized by the spectacle before me. I remember the set list, I remember the banter between songs and I remember leaving the arena hoarse that night from screaming and singing for the entire show.

What a night…what a band!

Boston was an instant hit. The debut album, Boston, released in August 1976, was an enormous success. The record still ranks as the best-selling debut album in U.S. history with over 17 million copies sold.

Boston hailing from the city of the same name achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Founded and led by guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band has continued to be a mainstay of classic rock since the time I saw them on stage that night in 1976.

Boston’s best-known works include the singles “More than a Feeling”, “Peace of Mind”, “Long Time”, “Don’t Look Back” and “Amanda”. They have sold over 50 million albums worldwide.

See Boston Live In Concert this Thursday August 21, 2008 at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino. Showtime is at 8:00PM and doors open at 7:00PM. Tickets are available at the Hard Rock Live or at Ticketmaster.